Join Julie's Fight Today Against Degenerative Scoliosis!
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Join Julie’s Fight Now to Keep Her Reaching Mountains!
Our outdoor-loving daughter, Julie, is fighting the biggest challenge of her life and needs your help. She's facing the heartbreaking possibility of no longer being able to walk. Her spine is collapsing due to degenerative scoliosis and a failed prior spinal fusion. Without life-changing spinal revision surgery and your help, Julie may never hike a trail again. Please join her fundraising campaign today to help keep her walking!
Julie’s Path So Far:
At age 11, Julie was diagnosed with severe idiopathic juvenile scoliosis, which is an abnormal curvature of the spine. Two years later, she was referred to specialists in Utah for corrective surgery. In a tragic twist of fate, the surgeons accidentally damaged her spinal cord during the spinal fusion. What resulted was permanent loss of sensation in her right leg. Though still able to walk and hike, which she adores, now, 36 years later, we are seeing the full impact of the damage done. Because her spine is continuing to collapse, Julie is experiencing symptoms of progressive nerve damage to her left leg and is running out of time.
Our Path Forward:
Thankfully, there is hope. Julie’s case has been accepted by world-renowned surgeon Dr. Lawrence Lenke in New York, who specializes in complex spinal deformities. He’s optimistic that Julie’s surgery will come close to fully restoring and maintaining her spinal health – an incredible win! This surgery is Julie’s best and only option to continue her ability to walk, but we still need your help. Her path forward is full of optimism and we are hopeful she will continue an independent life.
Why We’re Asking for Your Help:
Julie can’t do this alone, so we’re supporting her as a family in every way we can, including reaching out to you. Your donation, regardless of amount, will go directly toward:
- Travel and lodging costs: Julie and a care-giver must make multiple trips to NY and will stay for an extended length of time after surgery- this is not covered by her insurance.
- Surgery: The surgery is grueling and will entail removing old hardware, fusing her spine from T5-SI (into the pelvis), and fixing the broken vertebra and slipped discs. This type of procedure can run upward of $250,000, and her initial out-of-pocket costs may exceed $60,000, not including loss of income.
- Supporting her recovery: Requires a two-week hospital stay, including time in ICU, followed by another 1-2 week monitoring period in NY upon release, and 24/7 care-giving for the first month out of the hospital. Recovery will take a minimum of 6 months. Please support her so she can get back on her feet without the stress of financial uncertainty while being unable to work.
- Job unknowns and insurance struggles: Julie has been an incredible advocate for herself and she is doing everything to reduce costs and utilize insurance. She does not have access to disability insurance and cannot work for the first 6 months of recovery. Despite being a hard-working single woman, she will not have an income during this time.
Hope for the future:
Through this year’s mix of bad and good news, Julie has never once thrown in the towel and continues to nurture hope for a future filled with her passions, like exploring new places. She’s honored to be receiving the incredible care everyone deserves in this situation and is prepared for the long road ahead. It won’t be easy, but if there’s anyone who can take on adversity and succeed with humor and resilience, it’s Julie.
What You Can Do to Help Today:
- Donate: Each donation makes a difference in a fight like this one and is another step toward a successful outcome for Julie. She’s worth it.
- Share: Please spread the word of this campaign to other folks. Many hands make light work and every bit helps.
- Support: While donating and sharing are a big part of this effort, it’s your caring words and acts of encouragement that will get Julie through this. Please reach out, post here, do kind things for others, or enjoy a hike for yourself (it would make her happy knowing you’re out adventuring).
With this surgery, Julie has a high chance of successful recovery. It’s the key to her continued ability to walk, preventing additional nerve damage, and maintaining an independent life doing what she loves. She’s our daughter, sister, friend, hiking partner, nature-lover, and so much more. She’s also one of the toughest people we know, and she can’t do this without your help.
If you can help, please donate and share her story today. Your acts of kindness matter, and will have a profound impact on Julie’s life. Thank you, from the bottom of our hearts, thank you!
Co-organizers (3)
Nancy Harris
Organizer
Bozeman, MT
Julie Harris
Beneficiary
Cori Harris
Co-organizer